Gotham Talk: A Vesper Fairchild Origins Story
by Miss Meggie
Summary: Celi requested an origins story concerning Vesper Fairchild. This was my attempt. Yuletide 2019 on Ao3. Brief appearances by Iris West-Allen and Felicity Smoak-Queen. I own nada. I based Vesper on Freema Agyeman. Enjoy.


Vesper Fairchild grew up as a middle-class Gotham City girl with bigger dreams than Gotham City could contain within its dark and grimy confines.

She'd wanted to be the next Rachel Maddow or Lois Lane.

So her parents sent her off to Central City University's Journalism program. Central City feels a bit like Disney world as compared to Gotham with its clean streets and low crime rate and seemingly happy people.

It's at Central City University where she makes her first real friend in communications 101.

Her name is Iris West.

She's gorgeous and bubbly and fun! She's everything Vesper needs in a friend and not just because she's the only other black communications student in the class but because Vesper can be cynical and sharp-tongued.

Gotham had given her an edge Iris didn't and still does not have. They provide one another balance and unbiased opinion in their work.

When the particle accelerator exploded and Iris dare not leave Barry Allen's side those first few months. Vesper helped her with classes and but without Iris there as battle buddy there wasn't much reason to remain at that awful paper she and Iris were stuck interning at.

With the explosion of Metas in Central City and the sudden disappearance of The Bat, she felt an overwhelming need to return to her roots in Gotham and report there boots on the ground.

When Iris hugs her tightly telling her to use her voice it's what's she's good at. Even Vesper herself has no idea how literally she'll take that.

She rents the tiniest apartment known to man, works at a GC branch of jitters during the day she starts what she intends to be a crime reporting podcast. It's hard because she gets nothing first hand or unbiased by Gotham media conglomerates.

Months later after a complaining phone call to Iris, she comes home to find a perky spectacled blonde in her living room.

"Don't shoot I'm Felicity Smoak, Tech Guru. My friend Iris might have mentioned you needed help getting ahead of the crime curve monitoring wise, and I've installed everything you should need to keep your ear to the ground in this city."

She cringes, "I may have also bent some constitutional amendments. So let's just keep that between us."

"I wasn't going shoot a white lady in my apartment might have tased your ass though." She smiles. "Can you help me learn the tech?"

"Sure thing."

Three hours and two cartons of Chinese takeout later Vesper thinks she has the basics and Felicity leaves pressing a cell phone into her hand. "Call the number on this phone if you ever feel you're in over your head. I have friends who can help."

"Oh, Kay…" she has no idea why but she kinda likes Felicity Smoak, even if she does talk like nothing but espresso runs through her veins.

-/-/-

At first, it's a harrowing entry into talk journalism. It's like every crime syndicate The Bat ever took down comes to descend on the city all at once to ravage in place of Batman.

She reports so many needless and countless deaths, that she very nearly becomes desensitized to humanity.

She hates The Bat. What kind of hero leaves when he knows the police force is more corrupt than the mob? He knows certain offenders will be let out of Arkham Asylum on a technicality or worse for shits and giggles.

Still, he leaves who does that? A Coward in Vesper's opinion

/.-/

Then came Kane and his crows' nest for a short while, there was an illusion of safety. Though as He Accrued more power and notoriety it began to feel as if they were all living in a militarized city.

When the bat signal was to be turned off for the final time, Even as the city turned out to watch it felt a bit like Gotham it's self was dying.

For a moment Vesper thought she might be relegated to a fashion and society podcast but that fear was short-lived and soundly squashed.

By the new and dare, she say more intriguing Bat. Batwoman.

She's searching for new leads on the bat and her latest takedown, in the midst of searching her camera feeds when she sees an iconic golden light zip across the screen at least six times.

She zeros the camera in on his location. What is the flash doing on the east side of Gotham at an abandoned cannery?

She intends to find out.

-/-

Gotham Canned Goods has been defunct since at least the eighties, it was at one point in the nineties linked to The Riddler. Vesper sincerely hopes she isn't walking into an outdated trap meant for The Bat.

Still, she knocks, on the rusted sliding door.

"Come in," calls out a female voice.

Vesper enters pink Taser raised. "I'm Mary I'll be with you shortly. Just fill out my intake paperwork."

Vesper realizes this is no longer a defunct cannery but a makeshift hospital.

She's not expecting Mary Hamilton one of Gotham's rich brats to turn the corner into her line of vision.

"How can I help you today? There's a nasty bug making its rounds." She finally looks up.

"I'm Vesper Fairchild, you can start by telling me why The Flash himself is hand-delivering S.T.A.R. Labs medical supplies and equipment to you?"

Mary looked on in utter shock. She absolutely loves Gotham Talk. Vesper Fairchild's podcast. She's both funny and honest with an alluring voice.

The woman doesn't exactly match her voice, a hippie chick with dreads and a total granola mother earth feel about her, despite her pink Taser and serious expression.

She's on the hunt for a scoop Mary can tell. "I absolutely love your podcast, I'm actually a huge fan despite your views on my stepdad or meddling into why my sister's back in town, free speech and all that right?"

Vesper's chin kicks up. "The supplies?"

"I did Batwoman a favor she made sure I was well stocked in return. If you could not out my operation here I'd really appreciate I'm not exactly done with med school yet? I'm just trying to do some good for my city where it's needed."

"Could you get me an interview with the new Bat?"

"Look she only comes occasionally and trusts me, I won't let her be ambushed by media but you can count on me as a good source, it's the best offer I've got." She returns with a steely glint in her eye that would have made her mother proud.

Vesper respects her code of ethics. "Okay."

"Can I be a guest on the podcast?" Mary asks hopefully all evidence of steel gone.

"We'll see Miss Hamilton."

=/=

Vesper has yet another piece of the puzzle. She also finds it interesting that Kate Kane returns to Gotham, and the new adaptation of The Bat appears.

She wonders if Miss Hamilton has the same suspicion or is just a loyal soul.

Its good thing Vesper likes the chase of a good story.

It's an even better thing she'd taken Iris' advice.

Vesper Fairchild has a voice and isn't afraid to use it.


End file.
